


I Didn't Just Like You

by KnownAsEmrys



Series: acoyotesmate [24]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Jealousy, Love Confessions, idk i just started writing and this happened
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-07
Updated: 2019-07-07
Packaged: 2020-06-23 22:17:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19710574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KnownAsEmrys/pseuds/KnownAsEmrys
Summary: vanilla-picklezzz asked: "Anything Stalia pleaseeeeee"Can also be found @acoyotesmate on tumblr





	I Didn't Just Like You

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you like this!

“Stop staring at them.”

“I can’t!” Stiles exclaims, turning to look at her across the table. “It just doesn’t make any sense!”

“They’re going on a date, what doesn’t make sense about that?” Lydia questions, clearly annoyed with him. “Besides, it’s not really any of your business, is it? _You_ broke up with _her.”_

Stiles huffs. “Yeah, but I mean…Malia deserves better than _Isaac_ who’s clearly just using her to get over his crush on Scott.”

Lydia eyes him critically. “Isaac’s nice, loyal, and hot. He’s a perfectly decent choice for her, so what’s your damage? Do you still have feelings for her?”

“No!” He says, then, “ _Maybe_! I don’t know!”

“Then maybe you should keep your opinions on who she’s dating to yourself until you figure that out.” Lydia gets up, and walks over to where Malia and Isaac stand in line for lunch.

Stiles just blinks after her, getting the sense that she was angry for some reason, but unsure why. He already knew she didn’t have feelings for him so it wasn’t jealously.

 _Maybe **she** likes Isaac,_ he thinks, but no _Scott_ liked Isaac, and _Lydia_ was getting cushy with Parrish lately.

Scott joins him a moment later, kicked puppy look on his face. He never explicitly mentioned his feelings for Isaac, but Stiles knew - everyone except Isaac and he guesses Malia knew. He’d been walking around with that sad look in his eyes since two days prior when Isaac announced he was going to ask out Malia, sadder since Isaac asked her out the day before and she’d said yes.

“Are you sure it’s a good idea to let packmates da - ”

“Stiles, don’t ask questions you’re too smart for,” Scott cuts in.

Stiles huffs. “Well one of us deserves to be petty.”

Scott frowns in confusion. “Why would _I_ be petty?”

Stiles gives him a look, but Scott just stares back, oblivious. He rolls his eyes. “I know you have a crush on Isaac, Scott.”

Scott’s eyes widen. “No I don’t!”

Stiles snorts. “Don’t think I haven’t seen how you’ve been checking him out ever since he came back.”

Scott sputters, face turning ever slightly red.

“It’s _okay_ , Scott,” Stiles says. “Kira told you not to wait around for her, and while I don’t understand how you could like _Isaac_ of all people, you liking a guy doesn’t change anything between us and it won’t change anything with any of the pack either.”

Scott doesn’t seem to know how to react at first, but then he smiles.

“But I think your mom’s going to give you another sex talk when she finds out.”

Scott’s smile vanishes instantly and Stiles laughs.

“Finds out what?” Isaac questions as he slides in next to Scott.

“That I’m…um…” Scott trails nervously as Lydia sits next to Stiles.

“What?” Malia asks, sliding in next to Isaac.

Stiles eyes the lack of distance between them, hating how closely pressed together they are. His gaze slips over to Scott who’s still struggling to respond. “Uh, um - that he’s got an STD.”

Scott glares at him, while everyone else just stares at Scott with wide eyes.

 _Sorry_ , Stiles mouths. He’s definitely going to pay for that later.

“I don’t have an STD I just…I think I’m Bi,” Scott says. “I don’t really know what label to use yet.”

And Stiles watches Isaac like a hawk, sees the mix of emotions on his face - confusion, hope, fear.

_He **is** just using her! He’s totally got the hots for Scott! The bastard!_

It was his duty as Malia’s friend to warn her so she didn’t get hurt in the long run, right?

* * *

Stiles waits until him and Malia are studying in his room later that night to bring it up. She’s laying on his bed, and he’s settled at his desk trying his best to focus on reading his history textbook.

“So your date with Isaac is tomorrow,” He starts, deciding to just get it over with. “Are you excited?”

“Definitely,” She answers a little distractedly, highlighting something in her textbook.

“So you like him then?”

Malia shrugs. “He’s funny, and I like being around him. He’s also insanely gorgeous.”

Stiles’ eye twitches, jealously burns underneath his skin. “Do you think he likes you too?”

Malia frowns, looking up at him curiously. “He asked me out, so I think so.”

“Right, but…have you not noticed the way he looks at Scott?”

Malia sits up. “What way is that?”

“You know, like he’s got a thing for him,” Stiles says.

“He doesn’t,” She insists.

“He does.”

“How do you know? Did he _tell_ you he likes Scott?”

“Well, _no_ , but - ”

“Then for all _you_ know, he likes _me_.”

Stiles struggles to respond for a moment, then he blurts, “Scott likes him. He told me today at lunch. That’s why he said he thinks he’s Bi.”

Malia frowns at that. “Oh,” she says. “I…I didn’t know, Scott liked him.”

“Big time.”

Malia hums. “Well then I’ll tell Isaac and see if that changes anything.”

“And if it does?”

“Then I’ll move on,” she says.

“Just like that?”

“We’re not even dating yet,” Malia points out. “Besides, I’d rather know now if he isn’t into me as much as I am into him. Don’t want my heart to get broken again.”

And doesn’t _that_ make him feel like a selfish dick.

“Malia - ”

She stands up and starts collecting her stuff. “I should go.”

Stiles jumps to his feet, and walks over to her. He grabs her hand as it reaches for her phone.

She looks at him curiously, hurt coloring her expression just enough for him to recognize it.

“I’m sorry,” he tells her. “I’m sorry for breaking up with you how I did I…I was an asshole and you didn’t deserve it.”

Her lips twitch into a small, appreciative smile. “Thank you for apologizing,” she says quietly.

He nods, letting go of her wrist.

She grabs her phone and starts to leave.

“You know,” he starts as she reaches the door, “It wasn’t that I didn’t like you as much as you liked me. I was just scared.”

“Of what?”

“Of how much you liked me. How much you’d let me get away with,” He answers, staring at her back. “Donovan wasn’t a good guy I know that, but I killed him and that’s not something I knew how to deal with on my own - and I didn’t want you to carry it too so when you said you already knew and it didn’t matter to you - that terrified me because it should have. I took someone’s life and that has to matter.”

She turns to face him. “I get that Stiles, and when I said it didn’t matter to me I just meant that I’ve killed too. That I wasn’t judging you for it the same way you’ve never judged me for killing Kiley and my mom.”

“That was an accident,” he points out.

“And so was Donovan.”

He nods slowly and she starts to leave again, only to pause in the hallway.

“I didn’t _just_ like you, Stiles,” Malia admits.

“I didn’t just like you either.”

Silence.

Dead silence then he says, “Have fun on your date tomorrow.”

“Thanks,” and then she’s gone, and he finally knows for sure how he feels about Malia. He also knows that if Isaac chooses her, he can’t ask her to choose him instead, even if it hurts.

He ruined things between them and he only just now apologized for that. Realizing he was in love with Malia didn’t change how shitty he had been.

But it _did_ change how he felt about her date with Isaac and the talk he planned to have with him.

* * *

Stiles is laying on Scott’s bed, playing with a lacrosse ball while the Alpha studies at his desk, when Isaac appears in the doorway. Stiles’ attention snaps to him instantly.

He’s dressed in a dark blue Henley, black skinny jeans, matching converse. His hair is freshly cut, and he’s wearing too much cologne.

“How do I look?” Isaac asks, eyes darting to Scott as he turns in his chair.

Scott freezes briefly, then swallows and clears his throat. “Handsome,” he answers before turning back around. “Have fun tonight.”

Stiles’ attention returns to Isaac, noticing the disappointed look in his eyes.

“Right well…I’m going to wait for Malia on the porch.” Isaac says before leaving.

Stiles follows him after a moment without a word to Scott, finding Isaac sitting on the front porch. He sits next to him.

“Need something?” Isaac asks.

“Just wanted to talk.”

“About what?”

“Malia.”

Isaac snorts. “You know you two are broken up, right?”

“That doesn’t mean I don’t still care about her,” Stiles points out. “Or that I’m going to stop looking out for her.”

Isaac furrows his brow. “Do you think I’m going to hurt her or something?”

“I just want to make sure you’re not using her to get over your feelings for Scott.”

Isaac studies him a moment then says, “Are you sure you’re not just jealous?”

“Malia deserves to be with someone who actually wants her.”

Isaac has this unreadable expression and Stiles wonders what he’s hiding. “You didn’t answer my question.”

“I _am_ jealous, okay? And I just want to protect her.”

“But you’re not going to fight for her?” Isaac questions.

“I want to,” Stiles says. “I want to tell her that I still love her and ruin your whole stupid date, but I’m not going to.”

Isaac tilts his head. “Why not?”

“Because she’s excited about it and that means you better give her the best date she’s ever had or I’ll cut off your little werewolf testicles.”

Isaac blinks at him a moment, then bursts into laughter.

Malia’s highbeams flash across the yard as she pulls into the driveway.

“You got that?” Stiles questions.

Isaac laughs harder and jumps to his feet. He grabs the back of Stiles’ shirt and drags him over to Malia’s car. He opens the door and shoves Stiles inside the passenger seat.

“It worked,” he says before shutting the door. Stiles watches him run into the house.

“What…what the hell is he talking about?” Stiles questions, turning to face Malia.

Malia looks at her lap guiltily. “It wasn’t my idea.”

“ _What_ wasn’t?”

“The whole fake date thing,” Malia mutters.

Stiles furrows his brow. “Fake-date? You mean you two weren’t actually going out?”

Malia shakes her head. “We were just gonna go eat pizza and watch movies at my house.”

“But..why would you lie?”

“Isaac said he was tired of me moping around over you, and he thought that if you saw me with someone else you’d either get jealous or you wouldn’t and then I’d know it was really over between us,” Malia explains. “ I said it was stupid, and mean, but he said so were _you_ and then he wouldn’t drop it so I finally caved and I tried to call it off yesterday because of what you said about Scott liking him, but he said we were in too deep at this point.”

Stiles gapes. He doesn’t know what to say to being duped like this.

“Are you mad?” Malia questions.

Stiles gestures inarticulately until he figures that out and answers. “No I…I’m really confused, but I’m not mad.” He sits up straight in the chair and turns to her. “Wait, does this mean you still want to be with me?”

Malia scratches at the steering wheel lightly with a claw. “I do…do you still want to be with me?”

Stiles smiles. “Yeah. More than anything actually.”

She looks over at him shyly. “Yeah?”

“You remember yesterday when you said you didn’t just like me and I said it back?” He questions.

She nods.

“Well I _loved_ you,” he says, “I _still_ do and I’m sorry it took you fake-dating my arch nemesis to realize it.”

Happiness lights Malia’s eyes, and wow, isn’t she beautiful? The sight of her smile makes his heart stutter.

She kisses him, soft and sweet, before muttering. “I love you too.”

And Stiles doesn’t think he’s ever been happier than in this moment. He kisses her again, firm but gentle, smiling when she cups his face and kisses back harder.

He pushes her away gently after a moment. “Go on a date with me?” He asks.

She grins. “Of course.”

He kisses her cheek and settles back in his seat. A thought strikes him as he puts on his seatbelt.

“Wait, is Isaac - ”

“He’s telling Scott everything now,” she cuts in, tapping her ear meaningfully. “And I want to get out of here before they start making out, so where to?”

Stiles grins, and takes her hand in his, interlocking their fingers. “Wherever you want.”

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know what you thought of this!


End file.
